3 tips by Pedro Valente for defeating the enemy within
The BJJ philosophy goes far beyond finishing moves and points scored in tournaments. One example of this fact was provided by Pedro Valente, a GM…
Wisdom
Master Leão Teixeira and the art of breaking up a fight with BJJ
Grandmaster Carlos Gracie (1902–1994) used to teach, "The mouth is the first weapon of the BJJ practitioner," and it is through words that a student…
Brazilian jiu-jitsu, success and depression
My name is Rodrigo Lima, I'm a dental surgeon, specialized in orthodontics and facial orthopedics. And a good one! I have almost two decades on…
Ten lessons for future champions inspired by the life of Ayrton Senna
1. The three-time world champion (his titles obtained in 1988, 90 and 91, with runner-up finishes in 1989 and 93) viewed his work as a…
Training for Warriors: Chasing Zen
[First published in 2006. Part of the Training for Warriors series, by Martin Rooney*] “The person who comes to control his body by hard…
How to bounce back from the biggest beating life can hand you, with Rickson Gracie
To practice BJJ is to learn -- little by little, day by day -- to harden yourself to be able to withstand what life throws…
Some wisdom to help you have a better year in 2009, or whenever
In its last issue of 2008, Graciemag collected the best remarks made by fighters that year in the hope our readers could find in them…
Ruptured ACL? Here’s a specialist’s perspective
By *Dr. Al DeSimone Anterior Cruciate Ligament rupture remains one of most devastating injuries to a competitive athlete. The ACL is one of the major…
Remastered: Raphael Abi-Rihan’s training routine for BJJ competitors
[First published in 2012.] Coming up on the 10th of March, the Copa Jacques Lemans Jiu-Jitsu tournament will go down in Pilares, Rio de Janeiro,…
10 tips to keep doing BJJ well into your old age
In the letters section of Graciemag #261, last year, we offered some tips to readers just starting their tenure in the masters' age group and…
From Carlos Gracie to Abilio Diniz, our tips on aging, health and BJJ
To entrepreneur Abilio Diniz, 81, "aging is a certainty; aging with quality is a choice" — a project that demands strategy and discipline in order…
Training for Warriors: Commandments of training
[First published in 2006. Part of the Training for Warriors series, by Martin Rooney*] Tip #1 Imagine this is your Olympic Games Imagine an…